New York City’s Mayor gets baptised in jail by Rev Al Sharpton on Good Friday
AP New York City Mayor Eric Adams marked Good Friday by receiving a jailhouse baptism from the Rev Al Sharpton, joining in on the religious rite with a group of men incarcerated at the troubled Rikers Island jail complex. The ceremony came as part of a visit to the jail complex where Adams was scheduled […]
US Catholic priest’s new assignment: Helping those he invalidly baptised
Phoenix, Arizona, USAP Families came one by one to the baptismal font in a Phoenix church where Rev Andrés Arango, whose baptisms up until last summer are presumed to be invalid, poured holy water over the heads of a dozen people in a do-over of the Catholic ritual. The ceremony Thursday evening represented a new assignment […]
Baptisms by Arizona priest presumed invalid due to error
Phoenix, Arizona, USAP Thousands of baptisms performed by a priest who served in Arizona for 16 years are now presumed to be invalid because he used incorrect wording on a subtle but key component of the sacrament, Roman Catholic officials said. People affected were baptised by the Rev Andres Arango, who served in three parishes […]
Armed men kill 15 at baptism in northern Burkina Faso
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso Reuters Unidentified assailants killed 15 people who were gathered for a baptism at a village in northern Burkina Faso on Tuesday night, the government said on Wednesday. The attack took place in Adjarara, about seven kilometres from the town of Tin-Akoff in Oudalan province, very close to the border with Mali, according […]
Pictures – Epiphany celebrations marked by pandemic
Kalofer, BulgariaAP Christians on Wednesday marked Epiphany in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, which constrained celebrations in many places but didn’t stop some defying warnings to keep to traditions. Orthodox Christians celebrate Jesus’ baptism during Epiphany. In Bulgaria, thousands of worshippers ignored health authorities’ warnings to refrain from mass gatherings, braving icy waters to retrieve crucifixes […]
Armenian recruits baptised before heading into war
Nagorno-KarabakhAP In a wooded area of Nagorno-Karabakh, new recruits to the war besieging the region underwent a ritual Monday they hope will help them endure the fight – baptism into the Armenian Apostolic Church. One by one, the young men in camouflage fatigues approached a priest, who dipped their clasped hands into a water-filled kettle […]
Church in a pandemic: Under tents and with folding chairs, Catholics resume First Communions and baptisms outdoors
ALEJANDRA MOLINA, of Religion News Service, reports from LA…
Demi Lovato’s controversial trip to Israel included exploring Jewish roots
Jerusalem, IsraelRNS Former Disney star Demi Lovato’s trip to Israel in late September, which included a baptism in the waters of the Jordan River, ended with a baptism by fire, as the 27-year-old American singer admitted to publicising a paid tour of the Holy Land, which angered critics of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. But in […]
BAPTISM: SOUTHERN BAPTISTS PUT HOPES IN ‘BAPTISM SUNDAY’ AMID PLUMMETING BAPTISM NUMBERS
ADELLE M BANKS, of Religion News Service, reports from the US on a new Southern Baptist initiative to encourage more people to be immersed in the waters of baptism…
SOUTH AFRICA: BAPTISM BY TOXIC WATER – MINE WASTE, SEWAGE THREATEN WORSHIPPERS
KIM HARRISBERG, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports from South Africa…